


The Masked Ball

by phoenixwriting



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Coming Out, F/F, F/M, Identity Reveal, Masked ball, Oblivious, Romance, Secret Identity, Underage Drinking, they all share one braincell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24272950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixwriting/pseuds/phoenixwriting
Summary: Gabriel, Nathalie, and Adrien attend a masked ball, unknowing that the others would go, too.An attempt to escape their desperate lives for one evening has more consequences than they thought.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nathalie Sancoeur, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois/Kagami Tsurugi, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur, Penny Rolling/Nathalie Sancoeur
Comments: 54
Kudos: 95





	1. The Evening - Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ah okay, here we go.  
> This is the first fic I've ever published.  
> If something is wrong with the tags etc. let me know!
> 
> I will add one chapter each day. I hope you enjoy <3

After the Bourgeois' couple's 20th wedding anniversary was interrupted by an Akuma attack, they've decided to throw another party. A big one, to which every important person of Paris was invited. And of course, it would have an extravagant motto, a masked ball. 

Obviously the Agrestes had to make an appearance. And little did they know, they all used it as an opportunity to escape their desperate lives for one evening.

For Gabriel, it was a try to be someone else. Not the famous fashion designer, reclusive millionaire, depressed widower.  
He was familiar with secret identities; it wouldn't be difficult to pretend to be a person, people actually like. He had to admit he was lonely, the kind of emptiness, not even his son and assistant-in-crime were able to fill. True, he loved them both dearly, the last one more than his conscious mind could realize.

He wore a black suit, which looked not too expensive that people would see he was rich. The hair that was usually neatly styled like a Q-tip hang loosely in waves over the undercut. The long fringe almost reached his mouth while the back was shorter.  
Fashion icon Gabriel Agreste looked like a mainstream hipster, but with grey-blonde hair. He disliked the disheveled style, but this was the only way to make sure no one would recognize him. 

Even his earlobes got simple silver earrings. He hadn't worn jewelry in them since the Nineties, but the holes were still there. Also, he would need them for the Ladybug Miraculous, but one step at a time. To finish the appearance, he put on an elegant black mask. 

His only mission today was having fun. Gabriel Agreste didn't do “fun”, but this guy would. No regrets. Come tomorrow he would go back to his miserable self.

\----------

Adrien on the other side didn't care that much about being undercover. He wore his usual suit for formal occasions, the checkered black one, changed his hair from “Adrien” to “Chat Noir”-ish and put on a red mask with dots, resembling Ladybug's. He hoped her civilian self would be there, recognizing his mask, starting a conversation with him.  
It was worth a try. 

He checked himself in the mirror once again and concluded that he wouldn't be detected at first sight. If people are too oblivious to identify him as Chat Noir, they couldn't tell him away now. Finally a party with careless fun instead of high expectations.

\----------

Nathalie Sancoeur spent two hours getting ready. Tonight would be the best night in so long. Gabriel gave her the day off, he didn't require her assisting presence at the party, but that didn't mean she hadn't gotten an invitation. Even though she and Audrey weren't getting along well, she had her connections. 

No one knew she would attend; she made sure no one would know she had ever. Her dress was a deep purple mullet dress, not too eye-catching, yet very elegant. Her hair was dyed in her natural brown with hair chalk, matching her eyebrows. She managed to make the red streak almost invisible by letting her hair fall down to her upper back. 

Nobody not even Gabriel or Adrien had ever seen her without her bun in years and she forgot when she started coloring her hair blue. 

Not being able to wear her glasses gave the opportunity for colored contacts. She decided to go for purple, a soft almost natural tone but still unique.  
Over her eyes, she put a black mask with purple and deep purple details. It was too vintage for her usual style and the black heels she chose were even higher than Mayura's boots. 

Her disguise was perfect.

\----------

“I excuse myself, but I won't be able to make it to the Bourgeois' ball. Your bodyguard is waiting for you at the main door. Gabriel.” Adrien sat on the bed, disappointed by his father's sudden change of mind. 

He would have loved to celebrate with his dad, although the fact that Chloe got to invite some of their friends solaced him. He may or may not have convinced her with the threat he wouldn't attend otherwise. This was about to become a great night, nonetheless, and nobody told him when he should be back. 

Adrien went down the stairs and greeted the Gorilla, who grunted in acknowledgment. He wore a gorilla themed mask. For a moment, Adrien wondered what this mountain of a man would look like with a Miraculous. He stored that thought in the back of his head for later.

Together they made their way over to the neighboring building, the hotel where the ball was taking place.  
At the entrance, Adrien handed the invitation card over to the doorman, who let them both in.

For the sake of anonymity, the invitations were standardized, so everyone with a card was let in, no names or anything required.

\----------

Nathalie saw Adrien enter the door from behind as she walked along the pavement. Even though she had kind of maternal instincts when it came to “the golden-haired ray of sunshine” - as she liked to refer to him – it was the form of his bodyguard that gave him away immediately.

She strode to the man near the main door and gave him her card. She nodded as he wished her a good evening.

\----------

Gabriel transformed into Hawkmoth. Not because he was about to akumatize someone, but he couldn't be seen exiting the mansion in his ball costume. This was way less suspicious, he thought as he was standing in the foyer as Paris' most-wanted villain.

Gladly the house was empty, the staff had finished a few hours ago. If Nathalie came, she wouldn't be surprised after everything he had done in the past, and if Adrien came, he would pretend it was a robbery.  
Gabriel wouldn't like to face his son in the guise of a nightmare, still, his inner eye imagined Adrien's terrified and helpless expression.

He shook that thought out of his mind and exited undetected under cover of darkness. 

In a small alley, he transformed back after he had made sure he was alone. On the bridge on the way to the hotel, he fed Nooroo – he wasn't a monster after all. 

Without a word, he left the invitation in the doorman's hands and went in.

\----------

The lobby was already full of masked guests. Some were obvious to identify, maybe constantly living with a secret alter ego built a skill for looking through the masks.  
Regarding still not having found out who was underneath their enemies' masks, it probably didn't.

Adrien found his friends soon. Chloe was chatting with Marinette and Kagami; he figured because these were the only people she knew at this party. 

When Marinette recognized her friend's mask, she blushed. “So you're a fan of Ladybug?”

“Yeah... I mean, who isn't?” he stumbled. He exhaled and extended her hand towards her. “Would you like to dance?”

\----------

Gabriel entered the main party. Music was echoing from the speakers. Audrey Bourgeois was catching his attention, mostly because he had designed her outfit. He thanked God for the disguise, so he didn't have to exchange pleasantries. In a corner, he spotted his son dancing with the designer girl. He liked her; she had talent. Behind them, there were the daughters of Mrs. Tsurugi and the Bourgeois dancing together. 

He scanned the room for potential women to start a conversation with. He identified a few of them but thought it would be better to find someone who he didn't know personally.

Then a woman in the middle of the dance floor caught his interest.

\----------

Nathalie stood at the bar a little lost. Lonely drinking wasn't her idea of fun. 

“Hey, Nath!” 

Nathalie spun around, almost spilling her drink in the act. She stared at Penny Rolling with a shocked expression, who just smiled at her.

“How...?” Nathalie couldn't form words. She made every effort not to be recognized immediately.

Penny explained, she knew Nathalie long enough, to tell her away just from the way she stood. 

“Do you wanna dance, girl?” Penny offered her a hand.

Nathalie hesitated, she was aware of their history. They had bonded over both being in love with their bosses and found a way to be less lonely and ease their heartache. Of course, those things weren't meant to last and weren't healthy at all, but they still managed to remain friends.

Nathalie took the offered hand and let Penny drag her to the middle of the room. She pulled her close, it felt so good to be close to someone, when her crush only cared for her when she was nearly dying. 

Since Penny was way shorter Nathalie had a good overview. She saw Adrien dancing with Miss Dupain-Cheng, and of course, he would wear a Ladybug mask. From a boy who had his whole phone full of Ladybug pictures and owned several Ladybug pajamas, she expected nothing else.

Nathalie smiled a little when she realized how happy Adrien seemed. He may be as oblivious as his father when it came to feelings but his body language betrayed him. He held the girl tight while they swung to the beat. The teenagers were cute, she hoped it would work out between them eventually. 

A tug from Penny pulled Nathalie out of her thoughts. The woman was pulling her even closer and gently caressed her cheek. It hadn't worked out between her and Jagged yet and she seemed to seek a rebound now. 

Penny gazed into her eyes, ready to make a move when Nathalie pulled away. 

“I'm sorry, I can't use you like that.” Nathalie lowered her gaze and let go of Penny. She went back to the bar, abandoning a confused Penny on the dance floor.

True, her only reason to attend this party was to have fun and maybe use someone for achieving that, but she couldn't use her friend.  
Drama preprogrammed.

\----------

She sipped on her drink when she saw someone staring at her. Men always got turned on by some lesbian dancing.  
A handsome guy gazed into her direction. He was totally her type, she had to admit, a few years older - judging his greyish hair – neatly dressed and somehow mysterious.  
She added him to her imaginary list. 

When she caught him staring, she smirked. He blushed and immediately turned his head away. 

She left him there and went towards the crowd, but he could feel him watching. That was her game, keep him waiting. 

\----------

Gabriel stared into mysterious woman's direction for a few moments longer. She was beautiful, he couldn't wait to get to know her. The fact that she knew Jagged Stone's assistant worried him a little, maybe he knew her?

He shook the thought away as he approached Adrien who just finished dancing with Marinette. She flushed as she let go of his embrace and went to sit with Kagami.

“Adrien Agreste, is that right?” Gabriel lowered his voice as much as he could so Adrien wouldn't recognize him. 

Still, the boy stared at him with wide eyes.

\----------

That man sounded a lot like...Hawkmoth? No, it couldn't be. Why would a man like him attend a VIP-party?

“I've seen your recent photoshoot in the Vogue,” the suspect continued, “you did an amazing job as always. Your father must be very proud of you.” The man grimaced slightly as if he was about to curse but then smiled warmly at the boy.

Adrien had always liked his fans, but they rarely mention his father. Well, most of them were young girls who admired him to an almost unhealthy degree.

He lowered his gaze and sighed, his father had never told him he was proud. Adrien always followed his orders like a dog, never complained, rarely asked for anything and still, he had not ever the feeling he was good enough. There wasn't such a thing as meeting his father's expectations when your name was Adrien Agreste. 

The man must have seen Adrien's look as he added, “He may not know how to show it, from all I know about him from the media, but I am sure you are most precious to him.”

If this guy was really Hawkmoth, he wasn't as bad as Adrien had thought. 

\----------

It felt weird to talk to his own son as a stranger and he didn't know what else to say. He was intelligent, good with words, but sharing his feelings was never his strength. 

He decided to leave the conversation with a hand on his son's shoulder and a sincere smile.

Back at the bar he ordered another drink and noticed the brunette woman in the purple dress had returned. Downing his drink in one gulp he went over to her and extended his hand. What did he have to lose?  
She looked up from her glass, smirked slightly and stood up, laying her hand in his. He could tell this woman was a flirt.

His game was basically non-existent after being married for almost two decades, so he enjoyed a woman who knew what she wanted.

And she obviously wanted him. They hadn't exchanged a single word but he knew by the way she let him hold her, how she danced so close it was almost scandalous. 

He scammed the room and saw that no one looked at them. Here he wasn't Gabriel Agreste, whose every step was monitored by tabloids, he was just some random man. It felt so good. 

When he had seen her dancing with Penny he had wished it was him, swinging her hips in his arms and now he had her.

He loved the feeling of a woman near him, even though she wasn't his dear wife. He missed her terrible, tried everything to make his family whole again, but against everything he stood for, his hands lay on a complete stranger, whose name he didn't even know. 

And he wasn't sure if he wanted to know it.

But it was worth a shot, maybe she would rebuff him, maybe she would play along. Whatever, it wouldn't matter come tomorrow. He was nobody.

“Would you like to go to the roof with me?” He growled into her ear in his deepest Hawkmoth voice. It was his best idea, he couldn't really ask her if she wanted to go to a suite. Better take things a little slowly.

“Yes, I'd love to,” she whispered back in a medium-high voice.

She sounded a lot like...Nadja Chamack? The number one news reporter in the city? No, it couldn't be. As far as he remembered, the woman had short hair, except she was wearing a wig? 

He ran his hands through the masked woman's hair and gently pulled. Every brown strand stayed in its place, she only grimaced slightly. 

“I'm sorry,” he murmured and directed her to the elevator. 

\----------

The thing with a crush was that it seemed like suddenly everywhere was this one person. Only at second glance, the voice was different, the silhouette didn't match, the eyes were more blue than grey. 

During the elevator ride, she took in this silhouette, his hair, his facial structure, his lips, every indication that this could be her boss.  
Even though some features matched, it was barely impossible. Gabriel canceled, he was probably about to akumatize someone or held monologues by his wife's coffin. It was more likely than him flirting with her. 

Well not with her exactly, with the woman she pretended to be for the evening.

She shook the resemblance off as a part of her imagination.


	2. The Evening - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aka the braincell got lost

The roof was almost empty, a few people standing in one corner smoking. Gabriel put his hand on the woman's back as they went towards the railing that offered a fantastic view of the Eiffel tower. 

It was dark already, the City of Lights lived up to its name, shining lovely through the night. Occasional cold breezes let the woman shiver and ever the gentleman, Gabriel put his suit jacket off and let her slip into it. She looked even more beautiful. 

The two of them stood there in silence for what felt like in eternity, Gabriel's arm embracing her waist. 

His gaze wandered over every detail of the city, admiring its aesthetics, he occasionally turned his head to look at his lady. When she noticed, she always gazed into his eyes, offering him a sincere smile under the mask.

It was then when he saw, he had left the light on in his bedroom. The roof offered a good view of the mansion next to the hotel. Hopefully, Adrien wouldn't try to visit him when he came home. He sometimes came to say goodnight when he saw his father was still awake. 

And sometimes Gabriel slept with the lights on so when Adrien had nightmares and would seek comfort, so he wasn't alone. Gabriel knew his son had trouble process her mother's disappearance and he couldn't blame him. He wasn't doing a better job himself.

\----------

Nathalie noticed the light in Gabriel's bedroom and was relieved. So he really stayed home, her mind had tried to trick her and this man couldn't possibly be her boss.

She snuggled closer into his embrace and he put his other hand on her shoulder. 

When she arrived she was looking for fun, open for everything, an adventure but now she stood calmly in the embrace of a strong man, her face resting on his chest. They have exchanged like three sentences but it felt like they had known each other for a lifetime.

This was better than everything she imagined for the evening. 

“Do you smoke?” he broke the silence. 

Nathalie lifted her head to look at him. Actually, she stopped smoking when she started using the Peacock Miraculous. Before, she only smoked occasionally, when she had a lot of stress, a bad day or something. She thought it was better than drowning her problems in alcohol. 

No one had known about it, except the Gorilla, who had caught her once on the balcony of a guest room and promised to keep it a secret if she would lend him one.  
And so they became secret smoking buddies.

When she stopped, she explained she had a rare form of Asthma and he supported her by quitting as well. So they went to drinking buddies.

But now the Miraculous was fixed and her health improved slowly. Or maybe it just wasn't getting any worse. 

She nodded slightly and took a cigarette from the box putting it in her mouth. 

His hand laid over hers as she protected the fire from the wind while he lit the lighter. 

She inhaled deeply and threw her head up, watching the smoke vanish into the quiet night air of Paris. It felt too good. 

“I haven't been up here in forever”, Nathalie started a conversation, testing if he was interested in one. In fact, it was a straight lie; she had been on this roof when she was fighting alongside Miraculer and manipulating Chloe Bourgeois' bee signal, but that was not her. Not tonight.

“Me neither. I almost forgot how beautiful it is”, he answered slowly. 

He briefly turned his attention to the smoldering stem resting between his fingers before letting his eyes wander over the many lights lightening the darkness.

They continued to stand next to each other, enjoying each other's company and the calming vibe it surrounded them.  
The group of people had long gone inside so it was just the two of them. From time to time a car drove by, a plane flew over them, sirens wailed in the distance. Even the music from the party below was humming so softly it was barely existent. 

Nathalie went to throw her cigarette into the ashtray on a nearby table; he had finished his short before. 

When she came back, the man in black had turned around leaning against the railing, watching her. 

She felt a blush creeping up her cheek and her legs guiding her toward him. Standing few inches apart his hand went up to caress her hair and came to hold under her chin, tilting her head up while doing so.

Nathalie stared at him in anticipation, her hands grabbed the lapels of his shirt.

He leaned closer. “May I kiss you?” he whispered.

Her smile was enough consent he needed as his lips gently brushed hers. 

Regardless of the nicotine he tasted addicting. 

It wasn't long until her fingers ran through his wavy hair while his hands pulled her waist close.

\----------

Meanwhile, Adrien was downstairs with Marinette and Kagami, away from the adult party. Chloe had gone to the bar to get some glasses of champagne. 

She came back balancing a tray with four glasses. Of course, the daughter of the host would get alcohol, even if she was one year too young to drink officially. 

“To Chloe's parents for being married for 20 years!” Adrien cheered. 

“To Adrikins and me for achieving the same one day!” Chloe snuggled up to Adrien. 

Marinette snarled, but Kagami put a firm hand on her shoulder. “To everyone finding love eventually.”

“Cheers to that!” Adrien said. He wasn't sure about his feelings towards Kagami, as long as he had the slightest chance with Ladybug she would always be his first choice. But then there was Marinette, his friend, a little quirky yet somehow adorable.  
He kept telling himself, she was just a friend, because his heart belonged to his Lady, still, he couldn't deny how happy he was when she was around. 

But Kagami was in love with him, even he had noticed that she wouldn't ever leave his side. Their parents liked each other, at least he could hang out with her whenever he wanted.  
She understood the pressure he was under, strict parents, high expectations, many extracurricular activities.

But she deserved better than being the second choice. 

“Who wants to play 7 minutes in heaveeeen?” Chloe chirped.

Marinette's face went red as a tomato. 

Adrien had never heard of such a game before. His isolation had caused him to miss all these teenage things.  
But thankfully he wasn't the only one.

“How does the game work?” Kagami asked sheepishly. 

“Ridiculous, have you ever had fun?” Chloe laughed, “we spin this bottle here and whoever it points to must spend seven minutes with the person in a closet. Well, what happens in there, stays in there. I start.”

Chloe sat on the floor and waited until everyone took a seat.

She spun the bottle excitingly, and it landed on Adrien. He swallowed. 

Oh, no.

He didn't get to see the other girls' expressions because he was already dragged by Chloe.

“Seven minutes, girls. Set the alarm!” With that she closed the door behind them.

There was only a small light bulb hanging from the ceiling, offering a soft light, barely bright enough to reach the corners. 

The small space made it necessary to stand close to each other but not so close they had to touch.

“So Adrikins, have you had your first kiss yet?” Chloe challenged.

In fact, he had kissed Ladybug twice, once to get freed from Dark Cupid and once after being hit by Oblivio. Sadly, he couldn't remember either of these. 

And he had almost kissed Kagami at André's but he backed out. It wasn't right. 

“No, I haven't kissed anyone yet,” Adrien stated. 

“So, do you want to?” Chloe formed a kissing mouth and blinked at Adrien.

Did he? He was 15. His friends already had their first kisses, first partners; things that were normal for people his age. 

It could be an opportunity, get it over, see what it's like. And with his childhood best friend it couldn't be so bad.

But it felt like a betrayal. Kissing someone, out of curiosity, not feelings. His first kiss should be with Ladybug or whoever she is under that mask. Not Chloe, not Kagami. 

He could wait, perhaps he waited forever, but it would be okay. It was too hard to move on from first love. With the right person, it may be possible, but he was sure she hadn't found her yet. 

And Chloe was not her.

“I'm sorry, Chloe. I can't,” he said with a deep, sincere voice. 

Blue eyes widened at him, then gazed at the floor. “Why don't you love me?”

“I love you, you're my best friend. But I'm not in love with you. My heart belongs to someone else and kissing you would be a betrayal and untrue to you. I don't want to hurt you.”

Chloe put down her mask and wiped away a small tear that has escaped her eye. “Sorry, if I made you feel uncomfortable. I don't want to use you either anymore.” 

Use him? Anymore? He couldn't follow. “What do you mean?”

“I think, I'm in love with someone else.”

Kim? Luka? Nathaniel?

“Do I know him?” Adrien asked in a friendzoned voice, trying not to sound too curious.

Chloe nodded reluctantly, still not looking at Adrien.

“Who is it?”

She took a deep breath. 

“Kagami.”

“Oh.” He tried to be cool, but he wasn't able to hide his shock. Chloe looked at him and started crying, this time for real. 

He knew people could like whoever they want. It was okay. Juleka and Rose were cute together, as well as Marc and Nathaniel. 

Adrien tried to be happy for them and see their relationships as normal. But celebrating diversity was not easy for him since he had been raised in the isolation of a white cishet household.  
He had to learn, adapt, re-evaluate his views.

Chloe stared at him in anticipation, he didn't find any words, so she spoke in attempt to make the situation less awkward.

“I may be gay. And I may be for a long time now, but I didn't dare to tell anyone. So I used you to pretend I'm straight. Do you know what my parents would say? My mom?! Ugh, she already hates me. I'm already a disappointment and if they found out...Do you understand?”

He could only imagine how furious his father would be if he came home with a boyfriend. It would hurt their reputation; this would be unacceptable. He didn't know Chloe's mother that well, but she didn't seem like a tolerant person, regardless of the matter. And living with a lie, hiding the true self from the people one cared about; that he knew well. 

The only thing he could do at this moment was to hug her tightly until her crying died down. 

“I'll be there for you, always. If you want my help to talk to Kagami or your parents or if you need a fake boyfriend, whatever makes your situation less painful. It's gonna be okay.”

“Thank you, Adrien.” Chloe rested her head on his chest.

This was probably the first time in years, she called him by his actual name. 

They stood like this for an eternity, afraid that if he let go, she would break. 

Suddenly the door opened and the teenagers hastily entangled from their embrace. 

Marinette's face fell as she saw Chloe's smudged mascara and Adrien's tenseness. 

Kagami frowned. “So what happened?”

“What happens in the closet, stays in the closet. That's the rule,” she replied with a casual hand wave, “so who's next?”

Everyone sat down again and Adrien got to spin the bottle. He had never done such a thing before. It was kinda fun.

The empty bottle of Champagne landed on Marinette. She almost spat out the drink she had just nipped on. 

She didn't move an inch as Adrien smiled and got up. Now with Kagami being Chloe's crush, he should find out what those feelings for Marinette are. 

But seemingly Marinette had stopped working.

“Girl, are you okay? Or don't you wanna be in heaven with Adrikins?”

“I need to go to the bathroom,” she babbled before she took Kagami's hand and fled. 

Adrien watched them leave and turned to Chloe, who just shrugged.

“I better check on her.” He got up.

“I wait here.”

He reached the public bathroom of the floor and knocked. No answer. He knocked again.

“Marinette, Kagami, it's me. Are you guys okay? Can I come in?”

“Come in,” he heard Kagami say.

He opened the door and saw Kagami standing next to the sink, Marinette sitting on the floor hugging her knees.

“What happened?”

“I guess...I drank too much...or I didn't tolerate some food,” she stammered.

Adrien didn't know much about partying, alcohol, relationships or, well, humans in general, but Marinette looked more like she just had had an anxiety attack. And God, he knew what that felt like. Being isolated, having an abusive father and a probably dead mother and not to forget everything he saw during Akuma battles.  
Ladybug's lucky charm may repair all physical damage, but it wasn't able to erase trauma. And of course, he couldn't talk to anyone about that. 

“Should I get you home or call your parents?” Adrien took out his phone.

The girl went even paler. “No, don't. I don't want them to see me like this.”

Then he got a brilliant idea. 

“What if you stay at my place tonight? Kagami could come, too, if you feel uncomfortable.”

Kagami's face lit up and she encouraged her friend to take up on the offer.

After a short discussion Adrien hadn't been able to hear, Marinette agreed. 

So Adrien called the person, he needed to carry out his plan.  
He called Nathalie.

\----------

Gabriel pressed the masked woman against the wall of the elevator shaft as she succumbed to his kisses. 

It felt too good, it has been way too long. The grief and the love for his wife were ever-present, but he needed one evening of not being a more-or-less widower and instead enjoy a meaningless rebound. 

And she seemed to search for just the same. She didn't even know his name, but she didn't seem to care. 

He had no idea for a fake name anyway. 

For a moment he stopped, put his hand on her face to look into her eyes. She gazed at him biting her lip.

This woman, whoever she was, had absolutely no resemblance to his wife. Emilie was short, blonde, green-eyed, quirky, and dramatic. The woman in his arms was tall, brunette, purple-eyed, cool, and mysterious.  
The complete opposite.

He wasn't sure which of them was more his type if he had any. He and Emilie had known each other since their teens and had been together ever since.

But now was not the time to think. He wanted this woman. Not sure if it was the alcohol, the heat of the moment, or the aura of the night that made him forget about everything he fought for on a daily basis, endangering thousands of people and even his own family, so blinded by love and grief. 

He tightened the grip on her hip which made her gasp.  
Should he take her home? Of course, he couldn't do that, his identity would be revealed and not forget a strange woman walking around in the house possibly running into his son.

His son.

Adrien was only 15 but so mature. He was fine with his father moving on, ignorant of what Gabriel did to get Emilie back into their lives. The allegation he would be dating his personal assistant made him furious. How could Adrien think such a thing?

True, their relationship was not professional anymore, ever since she started helping him as a villain.  
But nothing had happened between them; nevertheless, he couldn't shake the thought of her smiling at him, the shine in her eyes when they were about to succeed, the light blush on her cheeks whenever he touched her. 

His feelings for Nathalie were as complicated as his relationship status. If she reciprocated this low-key crush, he didn't know. Sure, his miraculous allowed him to feel emotions, but even if Nathalie was close he could only sense faint contentment and occasionally some stress and tension.

Gabriel didn't want to endanger their work relationship; she was someone who was able to slap him with a sexual harassment lawsuit faster than he could blink. But his Nathalie wouldn't do that, she never complained when he held her hand, touched her face, or carried her.  
Yet, he hadn't dared to make a move until he got his feelings sorted out clearly.  
He would never want to play with her. 

“Are you okay?” The woman looked at him with concern, startling his brain.

He was just thinking about his wife and his secretary and apparently got lost in thoughts. 

“Yes, don't worry, my love.”

His eyes widened under the mask, filling the eyeholes almost completely. 

Oh God, had he just called the woman he had met two hours ago, the nickname he reserved for his wife?  
But she didn't know that, didn't know him, didn't know the fact that he was technically still married. 

To avoid any suspicions, he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She didn't move an inch, her gaze fixed on him.

He was well aware of the effect he had on women, even without his money and status. 

They had just closed the distance between them again when the woman's phone rang.

“Oh sorry, I have to take this”, she excused herself and went to the other side of the roof, out of earshot.

\----------

“Adrien, what is it?”, Nathalie asked, worry echoing in her voice. Unintentionally frowning, she threw a look into her “date”'s direction. He had concern written over his face.

“It's Marinette. She's not feeling well, and I don't know what to do”, he said hasty, “can she stay at my place just for the night?”

Oh, thank God, no one died in an Akuma attack or anything. 

“I don't think your father would allow to have guests over for tonight. Is she not able to go home?” Nathalie was definitely relieved.

“No, she said she drank a little too much, but I think she was having a panic attack...and she doesn't want to see her parents.”

Oh. Oh. Nathalie knew how much an anxiety disorder can mess someone up. It was impossible to stay sane with a job like hers and the side-job as Paris' second most-wanted villain. 

She felt like she had to help her.

“Wait-”, Adrien exclaimed, “are you at the party?”

He must have heard the background noises as she was considering a plan.

“Um, yes. Where are you?”

“I'm outside the ladies' room on the second floor. The one with the small lounge nearby”, he still sounded worried and afraid.

Nathalie made her way back to the man.

“Okay, I'm on my way.” She ended the call and immediately put her phone away. He shouldn't see her screensaver, which was a selfie with Adrien from when he started taking photos for his Instagram.

“Do you have to leave?”, he said, not touching her. 

“I'm afraid yes. My, um, nephew's girlfriend is sick downstairs and I have to get them home. They're 15 but somehow still kids.”

Why was she starting to share personal information? Why did she like him as much as she did? Why did she want to see him again?

But she couldn't. 

“Goodbye.” Nathalie gave the stranger a small kiss on the cheek before meeting his eyes one last time. 

His gaze was soft, a mixture of affection and sadness. 

Then she turned around and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? I'd love to hear your opinion or some criticism. 
> 
> Btw you can reach me on Insta @crownlina if you're interested in beta-ing my stories or just to talk about MLB ^^


	3. The Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aka Kagami has found the braincell

Taking a deep breath before entering the hallway Adrien had said he was in, Nathalie collected her thoughts to portray the image of a professional assistant, totally in control of herself.

“Is everything okay?” she slowly approached Adrien who was staring at his phone.

“Yes, everything is fine, ma'am. I'm just waiting for my friend,” he smiled politely. This boy had such good manners.

Then it dawned on her. The costume.

“It's me, Adrien.” Nathalie put her hand on his shoulder and bent down to look at him.

“Nathalie! Wow, you look amazing!” he exclaimed, “Marinette is inside, maybe you can talk to her and get her to leave with us.”

She nodded. That Marinette girl wasn't unknown to her; she had designer potential, well, she won a school fashion contest, but more importantly, Adrien cared about her. And Nathalie cared about Adrien. So she went inside.

“Hello Marinette, it's me, Nathalie. Adrien said you weren't feeling well.” She tried to replace her usual monotone “assistant” voice with a soft, sympathetic one, and it seemed to work. The girl looked at her though tear and mascara stained eyes.

“He told me you wanted to stay the night at his place,” Nathalie continued, “are you okay to go?” She knew how important reassurance was in such a situation. It was better to ask thrice instead of making a person uncomfortable and maybe even worse than before.

The girl on the floor nodded and took Kagami's hand to get up. Both put their masks back on and followed Nathalie out of the bathroom.

Adrien stood there expectantly. “I already texted Chloe that we're leaving, and she said we could use the back door, so no one has to see you. I also told Gorilla, he can go home.”

Thank God. Who knew where Mysterious Man was. She wasn't fond of being seen with teen model Adrien Agreste. Her cover would've been blown.

To her relief they left the hotel without any inconvenience and went across the street towards the Mansion, Nathalie leading and Marinette behind, Adrien and Kagami on her sides.

“Are Marinette's parents informed about her whereabouts?” Nathalie questioned the group.

“Yes, wait,” he mumbled, taking out his phone, “her mom says it's fine.” She sighed. No trouble on this side. Of course, what else would normal parents of a 15-year-old say? Oh God, Kagami's mother.

“Did Tomoe allow this?” Nathalie asked afraid.

“Yes, I told her that we wanted to decorate the garden tomorrow to learn about botany. And that some vegetables needed to be planted before sunrise. She believed me,” Kagami shrugged.

How should they ever get out of this mess?

Before Nathalie could think about the chaos she just got involved in, Adrien gasped and dropped his phone.  
Thankfully it wasn't broken although he had enough money to easily buy a new one.

Nathalie stopped in her motion and turned to Adrien, three pairs of eyes laying on him.

“It was you!” he exclaimed and Nathalie instantly shushed him.

“On the dance floor, with that mysterious man. Who was he? He seemed nice.”

This couldn't be happening. “Um, I don't know actually. He never told me his name.”

“You didn't talk to him? But I saw you leaving.”

Oh, this boy was too innocent. At least she didn't have to be worried to leave three teenagers alone overnight. Even though both of the girls had an obvious crush on Adrien.

“Well, at least you still have his jacket”, Adrien beamed.

It was only then that Nathalie recognized the black suit jacket hanging loosely around her upper body down to her thighs. He forgot his jacket. Maybe she could find him, give it back to him.  
But no, this was a one-time thing. She would probably keep the jacket as a souvenir. It smelled so much like him, the thought made her smile.

A few steps later, they arrived at the mansion.  
“We have to be very quiet. If Adrien's father found out, we will get in big trouble.” And she'd most likely get fired, but she didn't say that. But how could she ever deny a wish from Sunshine Boy?  
Ugh, she sounded like a mom.

Nathalie opened the gates, which came into movement with a thud. Why did this man always have to be so extra?

When they fitted through the gate, she stopped it, avoiding more noise than necessary.  
The street lights and the dim lights in the forecourt made it impossible to hide if Gabriel would notice. The lights in his bedroom were still on. Maybe he had just forgotten to turn them off before falling asleep. She didn't anything about his sleeping habits, if he was a deep sleeper, if he liked the lights on, if he snored.

Nathalie's heart was beating at a rapid speed as she watched the big iron gates click back in the lock.  
Her gaze went up to Gabriel's bedroom, still no sign of a movement. Maybe he was working or in the lair and forgot about it, whatever. She had no idea, what this man was doing at night unless he needed her as Mayura. She would stay up the whole night for him, not only to do villainy stuff.

\----------

Adrien watched as Nathalie opened the main door carefully and gestured the sneaking gang in.  
“Go upstairs and be as quiet as you can. Tomorrow morning, I will inform you when it's safe for the girls to go, and we will never speak about this again, alright?” Nathalie whispered looking him in the eye.

He inhaled and nodded, feeling a little threatened.  
But then Nathalie winked and excused herself to her occasional room.  
He was sure she had never winked at him before, but he kinda liked Rebellious Nathalie. He wondered if her usual red streak was a remnant of a different time in her life. Maybe he would ask her one day.

The three made their way up to Adrien's room and closed the door behind them.  
“I guess we're safe now. Marinette, how are you feeling?”

Marinette looked across the room until her gaze fell back on Adrien.

“I'm okay...I guess,” she stuttered but gave him a light smile.

Kagami laid down on Adrien's bed and took off her shoes. “I'm exhausted.”

It was late and as much as Adrien always dreamed of a sleepover party with all these games he read about on the Internet, he definitely needed sleep. And the mood wasn't that fun right now. He went to search his closet for pajamas the girls could wear only to find that all of his night clothes are having black dots on them.  
Maybe he shouldn't have convinced Nathalie to buy a bunch of pajamas from a Ladybug merchandise shop.

After he had changed, he came back with two pairs of Ladybug PJs and laid them out on the bed.

“I guess they're your size...I used to wear them when I was smaller, but I don't really wear them anymore,” he tried to downplay the fact that he had a huge crush on her but forgot that the girls were almost his height and that Ladybug and Chat Noir didn't show up until a year ago.

Thankfully the girls didn't question him. Kagami was the first to grab the clothes and went to the bathroom. When she came out, she proudly showed the design.

It fitted her well and considering Ryuko fought alongside Ladybug a couple of times, she must have been an admirer.

Only Marinette kept staring at the set waiting for her.

“Is something wrong?” Adrien asked concerned. He didn't want her friend to feel uncomfortable. “I can search for other clothes if you want to.”

“It's fine, thank you,” she exhaled meeting his eyes and went off to the bathroom.

The collection of slot machines caught Kagami's attention, so Adrien explained the to her unknown devices.  
He muted the sound effects and demonstrated the games, leading to a battle against Kagami, who apparently had a lot of beginners' luck.

During the fourth round, Adrien briefly wondered what Marinette was taking so long. Probably she was going through his cosmetics or doing her night routine, he didn't know much about girls and his childhood friend Chloe wasn't the best example.

After an eternity the bathroom door clicked open and the two polka-dotted gamers turned their eyes to their friend.

Marinette stood there arms crossed, gaze on the floor.

She looked beautiful in the Ladybug suit, she looked a lot like...

...the time they starred in Clara Nightingale's video.

“You look amazing!” Adrien tried to encourage her, “what do you think, Kagami?”

Kagami didn't answer.

“Kagami?”

In shock she stared at Marinette, not moving an inch.

After a while, she spoke, slowly and determined. “It's you. You are Ladybug.”

Marinette's eyes visibly widened contemplating her answer. Adrien had time to process his initial shock. Of course, how could he not see the resemblance before? Magic was the logical answer, protecting the heroes' identities for their own safety reasons.

But Adrien had spent so many hours fighting alongside her, talking to her, loving her. He thought he knew his Lady. How could he'd been so blind? How in the world had he missed that the love of his life and one of his best friends were the exact same person?

It was her. It'd always been her.

His thoughts started to spin, remembering every event he had had the chance to figure it out. He had been so stupid this whole year.

Marinette nodded. Not a proud I-save-Paris-everyday-Nod, yet a I-revealed-my-secret-Nod. She had just risked her entire self, but she had trusted her friends immensely.

Time for Adrien to do the same.

He stepped forward and grabbed her cheek, forcing her to look at him.

“It's okay, Milady.”

“...Milady?” she asked, unbelieving if she had heard right.

He leaned closer and whispered his transformation phrase “Plagg, claws out.”

Green light washed over him when he stood there as Chat Noir.

Ladybug, Marinette didn't manage to bring out a word, so she just hugged her partner, friend, and crush. When she retreated, she ran a hand over the cat's face and smiled warmly.

Adrien looked deeply into her eyes, now seeing not only Ladybug's beautiful blue eyes but Marinette's, too. He would need some time to adjust to the new situation, but he was glad the secret was out between the two of them.

Well, between the three of them. Kagami shifted in the background causing the superheroes to move their attention away from each other.

Adrien gestured to her with one of his arms “Come here, Ryuko.”

Kagami was confused for a second how Adrien could know about her but she didn't seem to question it further.

Instead, she joined the comforting group hug.

They stood like this for what felt like an eternity - Adrien had dropped his transformation - until they sat down on Adrien's bed starting to talk about superhero stuff.

Tikki and Plagg laid down in the middle of the teenagers, occasionally getting some snacks. Against Adrien's judgment, Plagg really liked Tikki's macarons.

Marinette's anxiety seemed to ease as the night proceeded and she got comfortable with the burden finally being off her shoulders.  
Adrien could only imagine what it must felt like to be the guardian of the most powerful thing in Paris, that could alter life as it's known, and fighting against terrorists while being a normal teenager with school and friends. And still having no one to talk to about all that.

As long as he remembered he had had a tight schedule, he was used to having so many extracurriculars there was no free time. And being Chat Noir was just one more thing he had to do. He was aware of the responsibility and hell, he had cracked under the pressure before but with everything that has happened in his life, Chat wasn't a burden, he was an escape.

And he could finally share his thoughts, feelings and also the traumatic experiences.

It felt so good.

It was 4 am when he first checked his phone. This was definitely not what Nathalie would have agreed to, but she would never know. She was probably fast asleep dreaming about the blonde man.

Adrien, Marinette, and Kagami were cuddled in blankets, once in a while one of them was yawning but they weren't tired at all.

The sky started to lighten when Kagami fell asleep on the edge of the bed, definitely not used to pull an all-nighter. Marinette convinced Adrien to get at least a few hours of sleep; no one knew when Hawkmoth would strike next and they needed energy for the next fight.

At 9 am there were sirens blaring in the distance, startling Adrien and Marinette awake. Instinctively, Adrien checked the news finding no Akuma attack or catastrophe report. He sighed but figured it would be time to get up.

Kagami, who was still lying next to Marinette with Plagg nuzzled in her neck, mumbled something about how she should get home.

Indeed, that was a good question. They couldn't just call her mom to pick her up, or Adrien's father would definitely catch them.

It took the trio a moment to get up and dressed before they were able to think about a good plan.

Then Adrien had an idea. If he was right, Gorilla would already be standing on the other side of his door.  
The bodyguard was the only option; Adrien couldn't ask Nathalie to drive the girls home. She had already done so much, and he really didn't want her to lose her job because of him.

Adrien opened the door slowly and was greeted by a large back. Jackpot. He shooed the man inside where the two girls greeted him kindly.

Gorilla's expression screamed confusion, so Adrien briefly explained the situation and his part in the last stage of the overall plan.  
He had bent the rules for Adrien before, so he was optimistic he would do it again.

And he did.

Gorilla nodded and left, waiting for his signal.

Just like the teens waited for theirs.

An hour later Adrien and Marinette had shown Kagami how to play video games since she didn't have a console at home. She started beating both of them in racing when Adrien's phone binged.

“ _Your father is very busy at the moment, so he may not be disturbed. You can ask him later about your school project, he is in his office_.”

It took him a second to understand the code but once he realized, Nathalie had sent the message from her work phone, it made sense.

The three exited the room, grabbing Gorilla, and went to the underground garage under the living room. Adrien hugged both of the girls goodbye before they entered the backseat and quietly drove off.

As the gates had closed he made his way to the kitchen for a breakfast snack. His father almost never had breakfast with him, so he wouldn't have noticed that Adrien hadn't been there this morning.

The chief made him a small plate full of his usual food, which he took to his room. He definitely had some questions after last night he preferred to figure out in silence.


	4. The Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aka Nathalie and Gabriel share the braincell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah sorry, my laptop broke down yesterday so the final chapter is a little late :))
> 
> And I hope I portrayed the whole LGBT thing correctly since I’m a (kinda closeted) bi girl myself

Since 8 am Nathalie sat at her desk, going through emails, finishing reports, talking to suppliers. The fashion industry never slept. And neither did she. 

After the kids had been safely in Adrien's room, she went to her room and tried to get some sleep, which turned out to be difficult after what the hell just happened. Like seriously, she couldn't stop thinking about that man.  
Sure, her heart belonged to a certain butterfly guy, who she would die for. Literally. 

But the masked man at the party had a mysteriousness she found quite attractive. It felt wrong to use him and still think about him when there was absolutely no way she would meet him again. But who was she to talk about morals?  
And that jacket hanging over her chair? It could belong to any man in Paris. It was over. Fun, flirting Nathalie was replaced by the cold, heartless one. The one true to her name.

Gabriel talked even less to her than usual, she saw him yawning more than usual. But it wasn't her place to question.  
They had become closer, but he had never let her forget that he was her boss. So she wouldn't ask why he wasn't able to sleep last night. 

“Nathalie, please bring me the files on my desk. The ones about Milan.”

“Yes, sir”, she nodded and turned to the door.

Then he pressed the buttons on Emilie's painting and descended through the floor. 

That's it.

Nathalie took out her phone and texted Adrien. She made sure to guard the door until she heard the gang sneaking through the hallways. When the Mercedes pulled out of the driveway, she was surprised at first but figured they had recruited Gorilla.  
He sometimes had bent the rules for Adrien, it hadn't gone unnoticed by Nathalie.  
But the boy deserved some teen rebellion.

After ten minutes of no sign of an Akuma attack, Nathalie figured Gabriel was visiting his wife's coffin.  
So she made her way up the main stairs and briefly stopped by Adrien's door. After considering to go in and ask him about the sleepover and Marinette's state, she shook her head and went to complete the task she was initially there for.  
One level higher she found the office desk full of stacks of paper.  
But no sign of the file she was searching for. How typical.

She briefly checked the other surfaces but it wasn't there either.  
Nathalie sighed and ran a hand across her face. This couldn't be happening. 

Way too tired and an emotional mess, but now she couldn't even get her work done because her disaster of a boss was too conceited to get his shit organized. 

Mentally cursing Nathalie opened the drawers, but they were all packed with stuff. 

When she opened the top right one, she froze in motion.

Inside laid a black mask.

The mask.

She knew that mask.

Oh no, that couldn't be happening.

It took her only a second to get the whole story straight: Yesterday, she had made out with her boss, her married boss she was madly in love with. And he didn't know. 

Should she tell him? Should she keep it a secret and pretend it never happened? Or should she just go for it, because if it happened once, it could happen again? Or was it a one-time thing for him?

Nathalie took the mask in her hand and let a finger run over the fabric. 

It was him. It'd always been him. 

How could she'd been so blind?

She needed some distraction; this was too much. 

\----------

A knock on Adrien's door made him pause the Ladyblog video that was playing on his phone. 

“Hey, Nathalie. Is everything okay?”, he asked after the woman entered.

“Yes, everything is fine. How was your first sleepover? And how is Marinette doing?”

Sure, he couldn't tell her everything that happened. Even though he totally trusted her, the secret would stay between the three of them for now. 

“It was amazing!”, Adrien beamed and gestured for Nathalie to sit next to him on the bed, “We talked so much about life and stuff. And Marinette is doing good. She just had a lot on her shoulders.”

Well, it wasn't really a lie.

“It's nice to hear, you benefited from the experience. Marinette seems like a good friend”, she smiled. 

“Marinette is great! Nathalie, she is so amazing. I got to see her in a different light last night, and I think I like her. I mean, like like her.”

He loved Ladybug for a year now. And he was sure he loved her even more, knowing she was actually her classmate and friend.

“I'm happy for you, Adrien, I hope it works out for you. But forgive me, I thought you were bonding with Kagami?”

Kagami. Chloe. Lesbian Chloe in love with Kagami.

He shook his head. “Can I talk to you about something? It's a little personal.”

Nathalie's eyes widened but she gestured for him to continue.

Now that Adrien knew it was actually Nathalie under that costume yesterday, he remembered seeing her dancing with Penny Rolling and nearly kiss her. 

He wasn't really sure what it meant, though he didn't even know the two were friends or whatever, but the confusing thoughts didn't leave him.

“Are you bisexual?”, Adrien sputtered.

Nathalie looked at him, completely startled. That was certainly not the topic she expected. But he couldn't blame her, they rarely talked about those things. Once or twice he had mentioned, that his father and Nathalie would be a good couple and that he would be happy if they got together but neither of the adults had been interested in that conversation. 

“It's just...I saw you dancing with Penny yesterday, and I figured you two might be...you know...”

“Yes,” she said in a flat yet sincere voice, “We dated a while ago.”

Adrien just looked at her, not sure of a reply. He only knew about gay people from media, although his father didn't find those things “appropriate”. And a few months ago, some of his classmates started seeing people of the same gender but he didn't want to ask them. 

And to know Nathalie likes women, made the whole thing more familiar. Adrien always thought queer people were different but in fact, they were just like him. Normal. Only that it wasn't normal to him yet. 

“How did you find out, you are into women? And when did you come out? Or didn't you? I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable.”

Nathalie sighed, she obviously wasn't prepared for this when she entered his room. “I was in high school when I started liking my best friend more than I should. And after a long time of overthinking, I came out to her and then my friends. And I don't think my sexuality is a public interest, but the fashion industry is a very tolerant place to be whoever you are.”

Adrien listened attentively, he was very interested in learning more about the person who basically raised him. And a conversation like this required a lot of trust.

“Why are you asking, Adrien?”

Yes, back to the topic. But how should he explain Chloe's situation without insulting any of them?

“Yesterday at the party we played Seven Minutes in Heaven.” Nathalie's face screamed silently. “And it was my turn to go into the closet with Chloe... She came out to me as lesbian and I don't know what to do now. Of course, I'm happy for her, but it's just so much. She didn't tell anyone else. I don't know how to deal with a thing like that and, um, I'm afraid I disrespect her.”

He lowered his gaze. He felt so wrong for not knowing what to do. He was new to all of this and he was aware it could be a sensitive topic for some people. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Chloe by doing or saying something wrong.

Nathalie nodded and took Adrien's hand. “Be there for her. Tell her you support her in every decision. I believe it's a lot for you since you're the only one she had trusted, but imagine how hard it must have been for her to come to terms with who she is. She needs you by your side. And it's okay to ask her if you're unsure. I'm certain she'll understand.”

“Thank you, Nathalie”, Adrien smiled and hugged her waist. 

“Anytime”, she hugged him back. 

“So do you know yet who the man from the party was?”, Adrien changed the topic. She really deserved some happiness, and his father didn't like her that way, he had clearly denied it when Felix had visited.

\----------

Oh god, don't react suspiciously. 

Nathalie shook her head. “I don't intend to pursue strangers when I have my two favorite men right here in this house.”

Adrien beamed at her words and hugged her again. 

He had no idea what she was about to do.

Gabriel was still nowhere to be found. He must have had great doubts about last night, how he had treated Nathalie, how he had treated his long-gone wife. He hadn't moved on from her and was so convinced the great Emilie Agreste would be the solution to all problems. 

He was too blind to see the reality.

Nathalie grabbed the suit jacket from her room and entered the atelier. 

Just go for it.

She hung the jacket over Gabriel's computer, so he would see it right when he came back. 

Then she left for the kitchen. She needed some stress food for this. And coffee. 

Now there was no point of return. He would either tell her, it was a mistake or fire her or worse, he wouldn't talk to her about it at all and pretended nothing has ever happened. 

Either way, she just had to wait.

\----------

“I'm sorry, Emilie. I betrayed you. I kissed another woman yesterday.” Gabriel lowered his gaze to the grass in front of his wife's coffin. He had had the feeling of guilt tearing him apart since the unknown woman had abandoned him on the roof.  
Only then he had become aware of what he had been doing. 

“The worst thing is”, he continued, “I can't stop thinking about her. I don't know who she is, but she has awakened something in me, that I thought was gone with you. I love you, Emilie, I need you. Your son needs you.  
But I can't keep doing this. Adrien has faced so much danger, my masterpieces have failed over and over, Nathalie is getting worse. Things got out of my control; I can't risk losing more people I care about.  
I spend days searching for another way to bring you back, and if there was one, I wouldn't have done all of this.  
I'm a bad person, a bad father, a bad husband. I wish you were here with me, telling me, I'm wrong, but if you knew...if you knew what has happened since you left, you'd hate me.  
Because I hate me.”

Gabriel fell to his knees and quietly started sobbing. If it weren't for the promise he had given to Emilie, he would have never terrorized a whole city for over a year. But he didn't know what else to do. She made him promise, he would get her back if the worse case happened. If she only hadn't used that goddamn miraculous to the point it killed her. If she only hadn't been so stubborn. They should've never had studied about the Miraculous in the first place.

Those goddamn Miraculous.

Gabriel unpinned the brooch from his throat and threw it against the glass unleashing all boiling anger.

Nooroo floated beside Gabriel and watched how his jewel cracked the coffin. Instinctively, he picked it up and held it out for its master again.

“You're free, Nooroo. Do whatever you please, I don't want those cursed jewels anymore. Take Duusu and her brooch, too. Go back to the guardian, search for better holders, I don't care”, Gabriel said.

It may be a harsh decision to give up just like that but he needed to let go. Flashes of memories of Adrien turning into a glitter statue, jumping off a skyscraper, Nathalie fainting in his arms, coughing up blood. He wanted to forget about those things, wanted to erase the trauma Paris had faced.

Gabriel shook his head, trying to file this fuel for nightmares far away in his mind. He had spent way too many sleepless nights contemplating if what he did was right, if the lengths he went for were right.  
They weren't. They had never been. And he knew that.

He just tried to present his goal as a noble one, to himself, the heroes, Emilie. So all the damage he was doing would be worth it. 

That was stupid. How could he be so stupid?

“I want to stay”, Nooroo whispered and Gabriel wasn't sure if he had heard correctly. “I want to be there for you now. And considering Miss Nathalie and Duusu's relationship, I'm sure she feels the same. You made the right choice, Mr. Gabriel.”

This tiny god was too precious. 

“Thank you, Nooroo. But please take the Miraculous and hide them somewhere I can't find them. I'm done with them.”

Nooroo nodded and phased through the ceiling, probably grabbing the peacock brooch. 

“I've done all I possibly could. Forgive me, Emilie.” He looked at her sleeping figure one last time and turned around.

The way to the elevator was long, cold, and lonely. Behind him, the lights on the walls went out one by one, as he crossed the bridge. He didn't dare to turn around didn't dare to think about what he would do with Emilie's body. 

One step at a time.

When he ascended to the atelier, he was surprised not to find Nathalie at her desk. It was always the first thing he checked when he came back. 

Sometimes he would find her deeply invested in work, not even acknowledging his presence. Other times she greeted him, after an Akuma attack she asked if he'd gained knowledge.  
He always feared the times her head laid on the desk, either from exhaustion or loss of consciousness. It haunted him, that her poor health was his fault. 

But no sign of Nathalie. 

Only a black piece of fabric hanging over the large monitor on the podium. 

He picked it up curiously only to identify it as his lost suit jacket from the night before. 

But how did it get here?

It disappeared with the unknown woman. 

Unless...

Of course. 

It was her. It'd always been her. 

How could he be so blind?

Memories flooded his mind, all the little signs he had ignored.

Before he could think about it, he took the jacket and ran out of the office. He needed to find her.

He needed to find Nathalie. 

Gabriel dashed up to her room, maybe she was sick again. After a few knocks, no one answered, so he peeked inside finding it all empty. 

As well as the office upstairs. 

Just when he went down the main staircase to check the kitchen, but at that moment he saw her exiting the living room. 

Finally.

“Nathalie!”, he exclaimed running down the stairs, making her freeze in motion. 

Her eyes went wide once she spotted the item in his hand. 

Gabriel was never good with words. He believed actions would speak for themselves.

He moved closer and grabbed her face in his hands, kissing her with all the love he held back for so long. 

\----------

“You owe me one pile of Camembert, kid”, Plagg whispered to Adrien as they watched the two embraced adults from the porch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! I hope you enjoyed the story :)  
> Comments are always welcome <3


End file.
